US Diplomat Meets with Jailed Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Leader

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood says a jailhouse meeting between a senior leader of the Islamist group and international envoys was terse and unproductive.

Khairat el-Shater, the deputy chief of the Brotherhood who is jailed on charges of inciting violence, met with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and European and Arab diplomats.

A Brotherhood spokesman said Shater told the international envoys they were wasting their time and should be talking to ousted President Mohamed Morsi.

The State Department says there are no plans for a meeting with Mr. Morsi. U.S. Senators John McCain and Lindsay Graham are also in Cairo at the request of the White House for talks with Egyptian military leaders.

The military overthrew Mr. Morsi on July 3 and put him under house arrest.

The Brotherhood has been holding two large round-the-clock vigils in Cairo demanding Mr. Morsi's reinstatement. Security officials have threatened to break up the protest camps. The United States is urging Egyptians to avoid violence and set up a transitional government that includes all voices.

The interim government says it will put Shater and Brotherhood chief Mohammed Badie on trial August 25. They are accused of starting violence that led to the deaths of protesters outside Brotherhood headquarters in June. Badie remains at large.